In this July 20, 2009 photo provided by NASA, astronaut Dave Wolf performs his second spacewalk and...
In this July 20, 2009 photo provided by NASA, astronaut Dave Wolf performs his second spacewalk and the Endeavour's second also of the scheduled five overall in a little over a week's time to continue work on the International Space Station. Astronauts Wolf and Tom Marshburn (out of frame), both mission specialists, successfully transferred a spare KU-band antenna to long-term storage on the space station, along with a backup coolant system pump module and a spare drive motor for the station's robot arm transporter. (NASA/AP Photo)
In this July 20, 2009 photo provided by NASA, astronaut Dave Wolf performs his second spacewalk and the Endeavour's second also of the scheduled five overall in a little over a week's time to continue work on the International Space Station. Astronauts Wolf and Tom Marshburn (out of frame), both mission specialists, successfully transferred a spare KU-band antenna to long-term storage on the space station, along with a backup coolant system pump module and a spare drive motor for the station's robot arm transporter. (NASA/AP Photo)
Astronauts cut spacewalk short because of suit trouble, return to safety of space station
Two astronauts cut short their spacewalk and hurried back to the safety of the international space station on Wednesday after a suit problem resulted in rising carbon dioxide levels for one of the men.
NASA officials stressed that spacewalker Christopher Cassidy was never in any danger and experienced no symptoms of carbon dioxide buildup.
The trouble cropped up late in Wednesday's spacewalk, the third for shuttle Endeavour's crew.
Mission Control notified the crew five hours into the spacewalk that the canister for removing carbon dioxide from Cassidy's suit did not seem to be working properly. Flight controllers wanted him back inside quickly. That meant fellow spacewalker David Wolf had to go back in early, too.
Their battery replacement work outside the space station was left unfinished. Only two of four new batteries ended up being installed.
Related
Senate Confirms Ex-Astronaut Bolden to Head NASA
Shuttle Blasts off After Month's Delay
California Dream: Shuttle Atlantis Lands Safely
Cassidy immediately headed for the hatch. He waited there for Wolf, who was farther out on the space station. Their work site was on the far left side of the orbiting complex, along the framework that holds the huge solar wings and more than 150 feet from the hatch.
"I'm just going to sit here and I'm going to wait for Dave and enjoy the view," Cassidy said.
Both men were back inside and the spacewalk was over a half-hour after Mission Control's initial call to cut it short. It ended up lasting six hours, a half-hour shorter than planned.
The unfinished battery work will be added to Friday's spacewalk, the fourth of five planned for this mission. Battery work already had been scheduled for Friday; now astronauts will have to install four for a total of six by flight's end.
Neither Cassidy nor Wolf — nor any of the 11 astronauts inside — sounded particularly stressed as they dropped everything and headed back in. Wolf noted that his idea for stringing safety tethers together, with minimal hookups in case of an emergency, "worked like a charm."
Two astronauts cut short their spacewalk and hurried back to the safety of the international space station on Wednesday after a suit problem resulted in rising carbon dioxide levels for one of the men.
NASA officials stressed that spacewalker Christopher Cassidy was never in any danger and experienced no symptoms of carbon dioxide buildup.
The trouble cropped up late in Wednesday's spacewalk, the third for shuttle Endeavour's crew.
Mission Control notified the crew five hours into the spacewalk that the canister for removing carbon dioxide from Cassidy's suit did not seem to be working properly. Flight controllers wanted him back inside quickly. That meant fellow spacewalker David Wolf had to go back in early, too.
Their battery replacement work outside the space station was left unfinished. Only two of four new batteries ended up being installed.
Related
Senate Confirms Ex-Astronaut Bolden to Head NASA
Shuttle Blasts off After Month's Delay
California Dream: Shuttle Atlantis Lands Safely
Cassidy immediately headed for the hatch. He waited there for Wolf, who was farther out on the space station. Their work site was on the far left side of the orbiting complex, along the framework that holds the huge solar wings and more than 150 feet from the hatch.
"I'm just going to sit here and I'm going to wait for Dave and enjoy the view," Cassidy said.
Both men were back inside and the spacewalk was over a half-hour after Mission Control's initial call to cut it short. It ended up lasting six hours, a half-hour shorter than planned.
The unfinished battery work will be added to Friday's spacewalk, the fourth of five planned for this mission. Battery work already had been scheduled for Friday; now astronauts will have to install four for a total of six by flight's end.
Neither Cassidy nor Wolf — nor any of the 11 astronauts inside — sounded particularly stressed as they dropped everything and headed back in. Wolf noted that his idea for stringing safety tethers together, with minimal hookups in case of an emergency, "worked like a charm."
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment